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EPLC Education Notebook
Monday, December 5, 2011 |
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The EPLC Education Notebook (current and past editions) also is available by visiting the EPLC web site at http://www.eplc.org/publications-reports/weekly-policy-notebook/
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PENNSYLVANIA POLICYMAKERS
School Vouchers Legislation
While proponents of school voucher legislation ratchet up their lobbying efforts, there remains considerable doubt that the House of Representatives will approve voucher legislation before the end of this year's session. There continues to be no agreement between Republican leaders in the House and Senate. The language of Senate Bill 1 as approved by the Senate seems to lack support in the House. The version of voucher legislation rumored to be favored by some House Republican leaders has been criticized by voucher advocates in the Senate as too weak.
The House has added to the Calendar extra session days (December 15, 19 and 20) to give itself more time for various issues including Re-districting and, perhaps, school choice legislation. It is generally understood that due to the voter unpopularity of proposals to use state funds to pay for student tuition in non-public schools, it would be much harder for the Legislature to approve voucher legislation after January. Just two weeks later, candidates will begin to circulate filing petitions for the 2012 legislative elections. The recent 2011 Pennsylvania Education Issues poll reported just 30% of Pennsylvania voters support the use of state-funded school vouchers to be used for non-public school tuition.
Senate
On November 11, Senator Jeffrey Piccola (R-15), Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, announced that he will be retiring after 35 years of service to constituents of Dauphin and York counties. Piccola was first elected to the PA House in 1977 and served there until 1995 when he won a special election for the 15th Senatorial District. While in the Senate, he served as Majority Whip from 2001-2006 and was later appointed Chairman of the Education Committee in 2009 following the death of former chair Senator James Rhoades. |
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PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT
On November 23, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that public school districts are not obligated to make payments to cyber charter schools for students who enrolled in a cyber-charter and are below the minimum kindergarten entry age established by the resident school district. The Supreme Court found that the charter school law allows school boards to set enrollment policies, but it does not mandate that schools provide kindergarten programs. According to the justices in the case Slippery Rock Area School District vs. Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, school district policies should take precedence because "the district's funding obligation is inextricably linked to its duty to provide a public education."
To read the majority opinion, click here. |
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PA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
allows for certain exceptions (school construction, special education expenditures and retirement contributions) that require PDE approval. Detailed information about each referendum exception and submission procedures are contained in the guidelines. These regulations reflect changes in the state law enacted earlier this year that have the effect of further restricting the ability of school districts to increase property taxes without voter approval. |
US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
On December 1, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced new Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations designed to safeguard student privacy while granting states the flexibility to share school data that can be useful in assessing the effectiveness of government investments in education. State and local policymakers will be able to determine if state and federally funded education programs are adequately preparing students for success.
In addition, the new regulations will increase the ability of the USDE to hold accountable those who misuse or abuse student data. When FERPA was first enacted in the 1970s it only applied to institutions with students in attendance (like colleges and high schools); however, since then an increasing number of institutions and entities that do not have students in attendance (such as student lenders) have had access to student records. These student records currently not protected by FERPA will now be covered under the new regulations.
The new regulations take effect January 3, 2012. |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Last week, Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley, a public education advocacy group, held a forum on the impact of the state budget cuts on public schools and universities at Shippensburg University. School district and higher education representatives from Cumberland and Franklin counties were in attendance to share the impacts of the state funding cuts and to answer questions from the public. To learn more about Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley upcoming events, click here.
State Representative Eugene DePasquale (D-95) has declared that he will run for the state Auditor General's post.
Former state Representative Samuel Rohrer is seeking the GOP endorsement to challenge U.S. Senator Bob Casey next year.
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REPORTS
The US Department of Education has released a wide-ranging study that examines the funding inequities in school districts that get Title I money. According to the data, nearly half of all high poverty schools were at least ten percent below the average school in their district in terms of state and local aid. The report found inequities in districts that have both Title I schools and non-Title I schools when it comes to personnel costs. More than forty percent of Title I schools spent less on personnel per student than their non-Title I counterparts. Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), districts are required to give high poverty schools the same share of state and local dollars as their other schools before the district can tap Title I monies for disadvantaged students. The report highlights a concern that districts are using Title I funds to fill funding gaps instead of using it to offset the added costs of educating poor children.
To read more, click here. |
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DATEBOOK
The House and Senate reconvened on Monday, December 5 at 1:00 PM.
The Senate Education Committee will meet for the purpose of an informational briefing by Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia on SB 1303, an update on the Corbett Administration's Teacher Evaluation proposal and consideration of Feather Houstoun to the Philadelphia School Reform Commission on Tuesday, December 6 at 10:00 AM.
The House Education Committee will meet on Wednesday, December 7 at 10:30 AM to consider the following bills: HB 1823, HB 1971, SB 328, SB 560 and SB 743. |
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| For information on upcoming events, please visit www.eplc.org and click on "Events Calendar". |
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EPLC Education Notebook is published by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC). Permission to reprint or electronically redistribute the Notebook in whole or in part is granted provided attribution to EPLC is provided. The Education Policy and Leadership Center is an independent, non-partisan and not-for-profit organization. The Mission of the Education Policy and Leadership Center is to encourage and support the development and implementation of effective state-level education policies to improve student learning in grades P-12, increase the effective operation of schools, and enhance educational opportunities for citizens of all ages. |
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